482 BRITISH BIRDS. 



its long neck curved into the shape of the letter 5 and bent back almost 

 to the fluffed-up scapulars, the Hooper seemed intent on feeding with his 

 head and neck under "water. At the slightest noise the neck was raised 

 erect, and the head turned round from side to side like a weathercock on a 

 steeple. Even in July the Hoopers were not always single or in pairs, and 

 we frequently saw half a dozen swimming together or preening their 

 feathers on a sand-bank. We sometimes tried to drift silently down 

 stream within gunshot of some of these small parties or herds, as they are 

 called in the technical language of the sportsman ; but they were too many 

 for us, and rose \vith a tremendous splash, their wings beating the water 

 for twenty or thirty yards before they got sufficient way on to be able to 

 rise high enough. When once on the wing they flew with great speed, 

 with steady beats of their long powerful wings. 



On migration the Hooper is a very gregarious bird, and by far the 

 greater number which passed us in the valley of the Yenesay on the way 

 north were in herds, which generally flew in a wedge-shaped line ; 

 they were soon out of sight, but sometimes passed over us at a great 

 height. Many a time whilst struggling with snow-shoes on the treacherous 

 half-melting snow in the forest I have heard their trumpet calls without 

 being able to catch a glimpse of them between the trees. The notes of the 

 Hooper are like the bass notes of a trombone, and sometimes almost set 

 your ear on edge ; but they are very short, three or four trumpet-blasts 

 keeping time with the upward and downward strokes of the wing. It is 

 not known that the food of the Hooper diff'ers from that of its more 

 sovithern ally; it consists chiefly of aquatic plants, Avatcr-insects, and 

 mollusks. 



The eggs of the Hooper agree with those of Bewick's Swan in being 

 creamy white in colour and in having a slight gloss ; like those of the 

 Mute Swan, also, the surface is granulated, and there is very little dift'er- 

 ence in the shape of the two ends. They vary in length from 4-7 to 4*2 

 inch, and in breadth from 2-9 to 2*65 inch. Eggs of the Mute Swan may 

 at once be distinguished by their slightly greenish colour ; but eggs of 

 Bewick^s Swan can only be distinguished by their smaller bulk. In 

 length the eggs of the two species overlap, but short eggs of the Hooper 

 are " short and stout,'^ and long eggs of Bewick's Swan are " tall and thin," 

 so that they cannot be confused, except in abnormal cases, which may 

 possibly occur. The safest guide in the determination of the eggs of these 

 two species of Swan is that of weight. Eggs of the Hooper weigh con- 

 siderably more, and those of Bewick's Swan considerably less, than four 

 sovereigns. 



The extermination of the Hooper in so many of its breeding-places has 

 arisen from an unfortunate habit, which it evidently acquii'ed ages ago, 

 before man came upon the scene — a habit which it shares with the Geese. 



